Liquid dispensing means



Nov. 1'8, 1952 T. E. THORPE LIQUID DISPENSING MEANS v Filed Aug. 51, 1946 E 0 2 a on m 4 M m v v Mr wlllmlnll nlllll ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 18, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIQUID Dlszlqzsllsd:

Thomas Edward Thorpe, London,r England",

Application August 31, 1946; Serial N'o.y 694,28L In Greatritain July 2,31946:

The' present inventionV relates t0 reservoir cleansing devices and it aims. at providing; an improvedY liquid applying device morel especially foruse` in applying, by brush highly volatillezliquids, for example, for the purpose of removing grease and like stains from fabrics or other materials., and it is especially applicableforl use with carbon tetrachloride or mixtures r solutions thereof with other materials. Liquids of this character flow so readily under gravity that itis necessary to. exercise ane control over the flow to the cleansing head, which may comprise a pad or any suitable applicator, but preferably comprises a brush, and the term brush head will be used hereinafter (except where specific features of a bristle head are involved) to mean any such cleansing head.

An object of the present invention is to provide a form of reservoir cleansing device which can be very closely regulated to control the delivery and shall be composed of readily detachable parts of simple construction and capable of effectively sealing the liquid content of the device, even when this is of a volatile nature, against escape except through the applicator portion of the cleansing head.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved means of locking the cleansing head against unintentional complete separation from the liquid container.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of cleansing head combined with a valve and particularly one in which a brush unit provides a central passage for the cleansing liquid and can be readily attached to or detached from a member carrying the valve and constructed for easy finger operation to regulate the degree of opening of the valve.

In order that the present invention may be the more readily understood, reference is hereinafter made to the accompany drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of the components of the device; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the assembled device; Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the working end of the brush with the valve open, and Fig. 4 is a similar View with the valve closed.

Referring more particularly to Fig. l, the device comprises a tubular container I, closed at one end 2 and at the other end internally screwthreaded at 3 and externally threaded at 4. Into this end of the container is screwed the valve seating member 5 having a cross slot 6 by which it may be engaged by a tool and screwed seating member 5;, is internally screw-threaded at 'I counterbored atl 8 andprovided with a valve seat 9. A gland or packing ring I0,1 a screw-on cap II and a spring locking ring I2,k a valve member I3,I a further packing washerl I4 and the 'brush head 24-26- areillustrated one belowY the other in, theexploded View.

The valve-member Iz?, comprises a steml I5 one.

end of which is suitably shaped as4 shown at I6y to,v co-operate with the valve seat and is externally screw-threaded at I1 to engage the internal threads in the seating member 5. The stem has one or more cross bores I8 leading to a through passage I9 opening at the other end of the valve member into an internally threaded enlargement 20 formed in an enlarged portion 2| of the stem. The stem has a plain cylindrical portion 22 which is annularly grooved at 23 to receive the aforesaid spring locking ring, while the brush comprises an externally threaded ring 24 to be screwed into the threaded enlargement 20, bristles 25 and an internal open ended tube 26 between which and the ring 24 the bristles are secured, the ring and tube forming the brush stock.

Referring now to Figs. 2 to 4, the valve seating member 5 is screwed into the end of the container, the gland I0 and the cap II are threaded on the smooth cylindrical portion of the valve stem, the locking ring is sprung into the groove 23 and the valve stem is screwed into the seating member and the cap is screwed onto the end of the container so as to clamp the gland I0 thereby sealing the valve seat member to the end of the container and causing the periphery of the aperture in the gland to make sealing engagement with the plain portion 22 of the valve stem.

During any convenient stage of the assemblage, the packing washer I4 is located in the bottom of the enlargement 20 in the valve member and the bristle head is screwed into said enlargement and clamps the washer.

By unscrewing the valve member and the cap all save the valve seating member can be quickly removed from the container and the valve seating member then screwed out of the container.

When the container is charged with the cleansing liquid and the working head of the device assembled the brush is ready to be supplied with liquid by gravity flow past the valve through the cross bores I8 and the through-passage I9 and the open-ended tube 26. The rate of flow can be quickly and conveniently regulated by relative rotation between the container and the brush head, by gripping the knurled enlargement 2l of the valve stem and either turning this or holding it and turning the container, and when necessary, the valve can be completely closed by a similar action.

The gland l0 prevents leakage and allows flow only through the valve stem so long as the Valve is open.

Where acid material, or a material which gives rise to the formation of acid, is used as the cleansing agent, the components may be made of acid resisting metal such as stainless steel, Monel metal, aluminium or aluminium bronze or other acid resisting metal. For example, when carbon tetrachloride is used as the cleansing agent there is a tendency for hydrochloric acid to be formed under certain conditions of dampness.

What I claim is:

A tubular liquid reservoir handle member with one end open and having an internally screwthreaded valve seat member screwed into said open end so that the Valve seat is disposed within the handle member and the outer end face of the valve seat member is substantially ilush with the end face at the open end of the handle member; a rotatable Valve member comprisingr a stem projecting into the handle in screw engagement with the internal thread of said Valve seat member and co-o'perating with the Valve 0 seat, said stem having a dispensing passage there- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 469,990 Brewington Mar. 1, 1892 737,471 Platner Aug. 25, 1903 743,582 Stein Nov. 10, 1903 1,207,393 Gammeter Dec. 5, 1916 1,533,899 Pyrtle Apr. 14, 1925 1,734,232 Rayan et al Nov. 5, 1929 1,902,003 Werder Mar. 21, 1933 2.149,711 Stock Mar. 7, 1939 2,164,004 Wright June 27, 1939 2,190,688 Snelling Feb. 20, 1940 2,235,734 Wright Mar. 18, 1941 2,565,954 Dey Aug. 28, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 322,317 Great Britain Dec. 5, 1929 

